Tell the World I'm Coming Home
by Blueh
Summary: Luffy was 15 when Ace first left. At the time, he and his big brother were staying at Dadan's, at least, until Ace was deployed. There was some stupid war overseas that Luffy didn't quite understand at the time, but all he knew is that he didn't want Ace to go. War AU [Brotherly AceLu]


Luffy was only 15 when Ace first left. At the time, he and his big brother were staying at Dadan's, the woman who was practically forced to take care of them after their parents both died in a car wreck when they were little kids. Of course, their grandfather was the one supposed to be their guardian, but the old man never had time and Dadan was the only one he trusted enough to dump them with.

Ace had gotten the email at night. Ace had told Luffy the next day about how he was going to go fight against some bad people or whatever, but Luffy didn't understand. Ace was leaving; leaving for a long, long time just for some stupid war overseas. All Luffy knew was the he didn't want Ace to go.

Unfortunately, he had little say in the situation.

Luffy could still remember it even though it had happened years ago; his big brother hugging him just before he boarded the plane, dressed up in all of his army gear. Ace was smiling, but Luffy knew that he didn't want to leave home any more than Luffy. The young boy remembered Ace saying something cheesy and he laughed; though it sounded hollow even to him. They never once exchanged a good-bye as Ace boarded the plane, giving him once last smile and fake salute before disappearing entirely.

Because why would they say good-bye when they'd see each other again?

* * *

It'd been almost two years since Ace had been deployed and the two brothers had yet to lose contact. Almost every night, Luffy would skype Ace, yapping happily about his day and the latest ridiculous stunt he'd pulled. Ace would always listen eagerly, every once in a while telling a small story or two, but it was mostly Luffy that dominated the chat.

"I'm moving soon, y'know." Luffy grinned at his brother from his side of the computer screen. It was one of their nightly skype calls; things that Ace wouldn't miss for the world. "The high school that Dadan's putting me to has a dorm, so I get to stay there from now on. She keeps sayin' stuff about me glad I'm going to be gone but then starts crying . . . " Luffy burst into a fit of giggles. "Dadan's weird!"

"Oh really?" Ace grinned, taking his hand and running it through his black hair. "A new adventure for you, right?"

"Yep!" Luffy chirped happily, waving his arms around as he continued to speak with enthusiasm.. "I have to leave my friends, but that's okay because we'll get to see each other again. Plus, I'll make a ton on new ones!"

Ace hummed, closing his eyes and leaning back against his chair. Someone shouted in the distance, quickly followed by laughter, though Luffy's brother didn't seem to give it any mind. "That's good. I'm glad you're happy." A pause. "You're graduating soon, right?"

Luffy giggled. "In a few years. Can you believe it? Makino said she was really proud and Dadan's been crying a lot lately." The younger flashed Ace yet another smile before it slowly slides off of his face entirely. His eyes found the ground and he fiddled with his hands while his normally happy voice dropped down to barely a whisper. "When're you coming home, Ace?"

Ace cracked open an eyes, sending his brother a guilty look. "I dunno, Lu. I don't think it'll be soon, though. Even though the war is over, there are still all the refuges and terrorist threats that our squad has to dead with. I'll come home as soon as I can."

"Promise?" Luffy asked, large eyes staring into his brother's. He lifted up his pinky and placed it on the screen. Ace laughed quietly, shifting so that he could lean forward and placed his pinky finger right on Luffy's.

"It's a promise."

* * *

"You're such a dork." Ace teased, shaking his head. He started to lie down, being sure to keep his laptop focused. The beds were hard and not comfortable at all, but they were a whole lot better than sleeping on the unforgiving ground. At least here, he had all the necessary resources like food, water and shelter, though a lot of the times even that was a rarity.

"I am not!" Luffy's cheeks flared out like they always do when he's trying to prove a ridiculous thing and Ace laughed, glad to hear his brother's optimistic attitude after spending hours out with men who seemed to have no emotion. Even if they were his allies, it didn't make him feel better. Ace was told that he needed to trust his team in order to survive out here and _sure, _he trusted them to some extent, but never like he trusted his brother. Luffy could hold his life in his hands and he'd never be worried.

"Plus," Luffy continued to ramble on, unaware of Ace's internal war. "It was Usopp's fault anyway. The teacher here seemed to hate him 'cause he's always talking during class. We can't even make a little slip up or the teacher's jump on us like, 'Detention! Detention! Detention!'" The skype chat fuzzed up at bit, unable to catch all the movements Ace's little brother was making.

"Oh really?" Ace gave a teasing smirk, well aware that his little brother would just brush it off. "And how many have you gotten already?"

"Five." Luffy said bluntly, his usual grin on his face. "I got one the first time I moved in 'cause I dropped some packing peanuts and the janitor thought I was littering so he called the principal and he gave me this _longgggg _lecture about how the school should always stay clean and littering was absolutely not permitted. The second time it was 'cause I got blamed for 'stealing'. Name was the one who stole it, though, not me. They just though I did."

Ace had heard that name before. He wasn't very happy that his little brother got caught up with kids who 'steal' apparently, but it was better than druggies and thugs. Ace knew that even though he might've been stupid, he did have a good people sense. "New friends?" He guessed.

"Yep!" Luffy laughed. "Ussop's my new roommate. He's got this _realllyyyyyyy _long nose and likes to tell lies, but he's cool. Nami likes oranges and stealing, Zoro's a sword master. He's got green hair too he's really serious. Sanji's one of the chef's sons, so he goes to the school and has some classes with me. His food is great, Ace! You'd really like it. He fights with Zoro a lot too; it's really funny! There's always like, 'you shitty marimo!' and 'You wanna go, swirls?!'" Luffy bounced around in his seat a bit, laughing and acting out one of their fights.

Ace snorted, shaking his head at his little brother's antics. "Luffy, focus. Who else have you met?"

"Sorry." Luffy sent him a grin and Ace knew that there was not a once of 'sorry' in him. "Let's see. . . I met Chopper too! He's a bit younger than me 'n Ussopp, but he's smart! He said that he's going to become a doctor when he grows up. Robin's like him, except she's one of the teachers. I like her! She always will sneak me candy and likes to encourage us. Y'know she teaches history? We get to do a lot of fun things in that class because of her!" He paused to take a breath and the skype fuzzed again. "Franky and Brooke I met just a bit ago. Brook's the music teacher and he's cool! I don't have a music block though, so we only get to see him after school and in the hallways. Franky's a mechanic that visits the school from time to time to fix stuff. Dunno why, though. He says he only likes to fix cars and ships. He says '_superrrrr_' a lot! It's funny!" Luffy giggled, squirming in his seat.

"They sound like great friends." And honestly, Ace meant it. He was glad that his brother was gaining new friends; normally, people avoided him in their last school. Every time Luffy would come home with that lonely look on his face, it broke Ace's heart. His happy-go-lucky little brother shouldn't be making faces like that; he deserved more. _Way _more.

Luffy was basically the polar opposite of himself. Ace never cared about friends, he didn't care about being the last one to be picked, didn't care when the teacher would always say 'get into groups, now' because he knew that there were worse things in life than being lonely. When he'd been developed here, he doubted that he even learn people's names. Eventually, though, a few managed to worm their way into his heart and he was glad for them. Marco, Thatch and the rest of the group were possibly the best friends he could ask for.

They didn't look down on him, even if he was young, they didn't care that he never finished collage, didn't care that he had a temper, didn't care about anything, really. They didn't pry about his family either, because Ace wasn't sure what he'd tell them. Sure, he had his little brother, but other than that? No, not really. Dadan was a shitty old hag and Makino was never around. He'd basically raised himself and Luffy alone. Now, he had his 'Army Family' as they called themselves. Everything was fun. They'd had parties, had celebrations, laughed, and had a good mount of fun.

That was, until Thatch died.

It was a shock from all of them, especially Ace and Marco who were closest to the man. It happened because of a sneak attack; they'd never saw their enemies coming. Everything happened so fast that Ace barely had time to register that they'd even been attacked in the first place.

But the result was devastating.

More than ten men had died; killed in the bloodiest ways. Thatch was among them. Ace remembered that he'd been so upset that he'd basically locked himself away from everything and everyone, intent on getting his revenge. Marco was the only reason that he'd hadn't gone on a suicide mission.

Marco was the only one who ever asked 'why'.

_Why would you die because your friend died? Why are you going to get yourself killed? Would Thatch have wanted that? What good would you be dead? Ace, you're smart. Think about it. _

And Ace did.

"Yeah," Ace was pulled out of his thoughts by his little brother, smile and everything. "They're great friends. Maybe when you get back you can meet—"

"_Luffy!" _The distant voice of his name being called cut the seventeen-year-old's rambling. Luffy turned and looked over his shoulder, yelling something that sounded like 'one minute!' before turning to Ace, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry Ace, I gotta go." He said, flashing a brilliant smile and moving his commuter to the exit button on the skype call.

"It's fine." Ace responded, a grin on his own face. "See ya later, Luf."

The screen when blank.

* * *

Luffy was happy. His new school was great, he made friends the first day and the teachers were really nice! The junior dorms were realllyyyyyy large, enough room for Luffy to have room, unlike his old apartment that he'd shared with Dadan and Ace since he was little. His roommate, Ussop, was great, even if he did like to exaggerate. Plus, the dorms had free Wi-Fi, so Luffy had the chance to talk to Ace whenever he wanted!

He didn't like to talk about Ace to his friends, though he does mention him from time to time. It Luffy, it's like a taboo because he knew that Ace was still in real danger even if the war had ended. In fact, Ace had told him that more people had died because of the terrorist groups that ran the town amuck than in the actual war itself. Ace was strong, so Luffy wasn't necessarily worried, but he still prayed that Ace would make it him, safe and sound. If he lost his last brother, the straw-hat boy didn't know what he'd do.

He's seen enough death for his whole life; after watching Sabo die and know it was _his fault because he wasn't there_, he wasn't sure how he'd take anyone else's death. He was not innocent by any means, but the boy could never handle death to those he was closet too.

Sabo was the first, dying in the shooting that took place in their Middle School. Ace and himself were lucky to escape with their lives, Sabo, however, was not. They'd blamed themselves for not being able to protect him, crying for weeks on end. They'd eventually gotten over his death, stopped blaming themselves, but nothing was the same as it was. He remembered Ace blatantly refusing to go anywhere near the school where his late brother died, and Luffy had vigorously agreed. They'd been homeschooled for a while after that, until they moved to a new city.

They'd been enrolled in high school later, even though they were wary and uncomfortable with the environment. It had been years since they'd even been around other kids besides each other, and quite honestly, Luffy didn't know how to react. Eventually, though, he'd settled down and managed to make some friends. His attitude and grades were rapidly improving, though they were still low.

Then Ace was deported, leaving Luffy alone. Dadan had decided that it would be good for him to have a new start and sent him to this school. Luffy was still adjusting, but it was much easier than the first time and Sabo's death no longer held him back. He'd made friends within the day, fitting right in to the misfit group. They'd accepted him readily, calling him their nakama, laughing with them and being by his side.

Ace had found his family.

* * *

"Oooiii! Luffy!" A voice echoed through the empty halls, causing Luffy to snap out of his thoughts and almost drop the textbooks that he was carrying back to the dorm. He turned his head, his black hair swinging in his eyes for a second before he realized who'd called his name.

He grinned, waving his arms as if his friend couldn't see him, even though they were the only ones in the hall since class ended nearly three hours ago. Luffy had time to kill, so he went outside for a while and lost track of time, rushing in before they called curfew and he wouldn't be able to talk to Ace. "Ussop!"

He stopped walking, waiting patently for his friend to catch up to him. It didn't take long since Ussop was a fast runner and on the track team, but it did take a while for his friend to catch his breath. Luffy grinned, patting the black-haired male on the back and Ussop smirked up at him, shaking his head fondly. "You're going back to the door right?" At Luffy's nod, he continued, "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"Sure!" Luffy laughed, spinning on his heels so he'd be able to walk backward and face Ussop. "'S not like anyone else is around."

Ussop joined in laughing. "Yeah, yeah."

The fell into a comfortable silence, with Luffy humming and old song that Ace had once taught him. It was nice, but at the same time, he had no one to sing it with since no one knew the words or tune. He missed the days when he and Ace would run out for a while, find a fire and just sit, singing campfire songs. It was one of the few things that Luffy liked just as it was.

"I've heard that song before," Ussop commented, humming along while swinging his hands at his side. He closed his eyes, looking like he was just as lost in his memories as Luffy was.

"Really?" Luffy stopped humming, glancing over at his roommate, eyebrow raised. He'd never met anyone other than Ace that knew the song and was able to sing along. Honestly, for a while he'd thought that his big brother had made up the song, not that Luffy minded at all.

"Yeah," Ussop replied, grinning as the melody was lost to the wind. "I think my dad taught it to me."

"Ace taught it to me." Luffy smiled slightly as images of Ace flashed through his head. All the memories that they'd shared together merged into one, creating one long timeline of all the moments in their life. "I haven't seen him in a while though."

"He's your brother, right?" Ussop shuffled his feet, adjusting his bag to make it more comfortable. "Zoro was talking about him before."

"Yep." Luffy started skipping ahead before turning around and walking backwards, giant grin spreading across his features. His backpack twisted, landing against his back with a dull 'thump' that echoed throughout the empty halls.

"Isn't he in the military?" Ussop wasn't fazed by the sudden actions. After all, spending most of his time with this idiot, he got use to it.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason." Ussop answered quickly. "It's just my dad in the military, so I thought they might know each other."

"Maybe." Luffy hummed, spinning on his heels again and walking ahead. He paused for a moment; enough time to left Ussop run into his back, spending his back a few steps. The teen rubbed his nose as Luffy grinned at him. "I'll ask him tonight."

Ussop laughed, slinging an arm around Luffy's shoulders. "I look forward to it."

* * *

"Yassop?" Ace asked, clearly confused by the boys that were sitting in front of him. This was the first time he'd been able to meet Ussop, but he'd heard plenty of stories from his little brother who clearly looked up to the other teen.

"Yeah, he's my dad." Ussop informed the older male. "He's a sharpshooter! Really good with artillery."

"Is he older? Deadlocks? Likes to talk a lot and can't seem to shut up?"

"That's him!" Ussop practically shouted, gripping the table and resisting the urge to bounce on his heels.

Ace gave him an easy grin. "Well, I can see the resemblance. He's an amazing guy; his shot is beyond anything I've ever seen as well. One of the best, probably."

"You know him, Ace?" Ace's little brother grinned at him, practically radiating excitement. Ace laughed a bit at his enthusiasm—Luffy was Luffy no matter how far away from each other they were.

"Of course. "Ace answered, shaking his head. "He's in my squad. Like I said, great guy but he does have a mouth. Loves to talk."

"D-Do you think I could see him?" The long-nosed boy questioned, his eyebrows furrowed. Ace's grin melted away a bit and he shook his head.

"He's out right now. I'm the only one here. Call back later, though, okay? I might be able to get him over here. If he doesn't talk my ear off first, that is." Someone shouted in the background and Ace winced. "I gotta go, Luf. Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Okay!" Luffy chirped, giving the man a wide grin. Ace slowly shook his head, but he was grinning all the same. A hand reached across the camera and suddenly the screen went blank.

Turning to his friend, Ussop gave him a confused look. "Why didn't you tell him goodbye?"

Luffy responded with a blank look. "Why would I say goodbye if I'm going to see him again?"

Ussop left it at that.

* * *

"—And then the Great Captain Ussop defeated the giant of Dressarosa!" Ussop finished yet another ridiculous tale, while Luffy looked at him with his big, trusting eyes. They were back in their dorms, night quickly setting on their large high school campus. Both boys were sitting on the floor, their backs against their respective beds, telling stories until sleep eventually took them.

It'd been a year now—a long, long year, but Luffy had somehow managed to pull himself up and pass all his classes. This was only the start, but it was better now that their first year was over. At least now they knew what to expect in the coming start of the semester.

"That's so cool!" Luffy encouraged, clapping his hands together as Ussop bowed, clearly proud of the story he'd told. Luffy laughed at him, before settling down, watching his friend sift on the floor so he could get more comfortable. "What about your dad? Any stories about him?"

"Yeah!" Ussop shot a wide grin at the boy. "I've got so many stories about him! He's amazing!"

"Really?" Luffy said, pretty much shaking from excitement. He leaned towards Ussop, eyes searching. "Tell me!"

So Ussop told him—he told him about when they'd go fishing together, when his dad taught him how to shoot, when he was deported, anything he could thinking of. Later—much, much later, both males were curled up in overly large blankets, starting at the ceiling deep in though. A comfortable silence had washed over them, and for once, Luffy didn't break it.

Ussop shifted in his blanket so he could look at Luffy. "Y'know, my dad is the one thing I don't have to lie about."

Luffy made a confused noise out of the back of his throat, throwing Ussop a hurt look. "You lie?"

"Ah." Ussop blinked at him, clearly realizing his mistake a moment too late. "Never mind. It's late, right? Let's go to bed."

That was the end of discussion.

* * *

**crappy little two-shot that's been sitting in my folder forever, but I never did anything with it ;v; **

**This isn't beta'd or anything, so there's probably some errors all around it. I'm going to read through it once I find my muse that had long since disappeared. **

**If any of you know about my other stories, I'm so sorry I haven't updated! In fact, I haven't even written a word down for the next chapters. I don't find writing as fun as I used to and I think that's partially because of my classes and the fact that as soon as I get home, I just want to sleep and not do anything. My english class this year isn't fun at all; rather tedious and horrible, actually. I'm sick of writing essays. But! I will try and get the next chapters out as soon as I can, just don't expect it to be any time soon. **


End file.
